Francois Marais is the Chief Pilot and safety officer at Sport Helicopters based at the Waterfront. With 48 years of experience in commercial aviation, he has flown both airplanes and helicopters. Francois holds licenses to fly 90 different types of airplanes and 15 different types of helicopters, accumulating over 26000 hours of accident-free flying on both.
Growing up with aviation, Francois’s father was a pilot in both the South African Air Force and the UK’s Royal Air Force. His father owned an aviation crop spraying company, where Francois learned to fly while still in school. His primary interests include aviation safety, safety management, post-maintenance test flying, crop spraying, firefighting, and tutoring young pilots.
Having flown all over the world on contract work, including countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Sudan, Colombia, Venezuela, and Mauritius amongst others, Cape Town remains Francois’s favorite place. At Sport Helicopters, Francois enjoys working with people and considers himself a “people’s person”. He has been flying with Sport Helicopters since April 2007 and his favorite helicopter in their fleet is the Huey.
In addition to his love for flying, Francois is known for his famous sidekick Peanut – a dog who serves as the mascot for Sport Helicopters. Peanut loves interacting with guests and also enjoys flying. Visitors are encouraged to come for a helicopter ride and meet Peanut during their visit.
